The Dynamics of Self-Disclosure in Adolescents with Mental Health Problems through the Instagram Account Into the Light
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30829/jai.v14i2.25543Keywords:
Self- Disclosure, Adolescent Mental Health, Social MediaAbstract
This study aims to describe the dynamics of self-disclosure carried out by adolescents facing mental health challenges through social media, with the Into the Light account serving as a contextual space that represents these practices. This research adopts a qualitative case study approach that allows for an in-depth exploration of participants' subjective experiences. The findings reveal that self-disclosure plays an important role in enabling adolescents to express their feelings and thoughts in a safe and anonymous environment on social media. Factors such as emotional needs, trust levels, past experiences, and perceptions of a safe digital space influence adolescents' decisions to engage in self-disclosure. Although the Into the Light account was not directly involved as a participatory object in this research, its presence provides context for understanding digital spaces that support openness. This study contributes to broadening the understanding of how social media, as a supportive and inclusive environment, can promote adolescent mental health.References
Altman, I., & Taylor, D. (1973). Social Penetration: The Development of Interpersonal Relationships. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Petronio, S. (2002). Boundaries of Privacy: Dialectics of Disclosure. State University of New York Press.
Altman, Irwin, and Dalmas A. Taylor. 1973. Social Penetration: The Development of Interpersonal Relationships. Oxford, England: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Amelia, C. (2024). Dramaturgi dalam Media Sosial: Second Account Instagram sebagai Self-Disclosure pada Mahasiswa Muslimah. Jurnal Audiens, 5(4), 591-606.
Asmayulia, A., & Rohmah, A. N. (2023). Pengungkapan Diri (Self Disclosure) Ditinjau dari Teori Communnication Privacy Management Pada Penggunaan Fitur Close Friend di Instagram. Jurnal Komunikasi.
Bara, A., Affandi, F., Farid, A. S., & Marzuki, D. I. (2021). The Effectiveness of Advertising Marketing in Print Media during the Covid 19 Pandemic in the Mandailing Natal Region. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal) Vol, 4(1), 879-886.
Barak, Azy, and Orit Gluck-Ofri. 2007. "Degree and Reciprocity of Self-Disclosure in Online Forums." CyberPsychology & Behavior 10(3):407-17.
Candrasari, Y. C., & Claretta, D. (2020). Pengembangan dan pendampingan literasi digital untukpeningkatan kualitas remaja dalam menggunakan internet. Dinamisia: Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat, 4(4), 611-618.
Claretta, M., et al. (2022). Media Sosial dan Dukungan Kesehatan Mental. Jurnal Komunikasi.
Dalimunthe, M. A., Ritonga, A. R., & Ananda, S. (2025). The Role of Opinion Leaders in Bullying Prevention: Evaluating the Roots Program in SMA Negeri 19 Medan Through the Lens of Two-Step Flow Communication Theory. Komunika, 21(01), 33-40.
Dalimunthe, M. A., Ritonga, A. R., Dalimunthe, N. F., & Veronica, A. (2025). Effective Communication in Character Education: A Pathway to Strengthening Nationalism of SMP Swasta Islam Terpadu Jabal Noor Student. Langgas: Jurnal Studi Pembangunan, 4(1), 13-22.
Dalimunthe, M. A. (2022). Keterampilan Komunikasi Antarbudaya Mahasiswa Malaysia di Kota Medan. Langgas: Jurnal Studi Pembangunan, 1(2), 82-89.
DeVito, J. (2011). Human Communication: The Basic Course. Pearson. Richey, K., et al. (2017). Social Media and Adolescent Self-Disclosure. Journal of Adolescent Research.
Edwina, O. I. P., Handayani, V., & Wijaya, S. (2025). KELUARGA, PILAR SOSIAL UTAMA UNTUK KESEHATAN MENTAL INDIVIDU. Penerbit Andi.
Fitri, A. T. (2025). Transformasi literasi digital menuju literasi global di era tanpa batas: Perspektif dunia remaja. IHSAN: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 3(2), 418-425.
Florida, N. F. (2022). Komunikasi Interpersonal Guru Dan Anak Berkebutuhan Khusus Di Sekolah Luar Biasa (SLB) Negeri 001 Tanjungpinang Sebagai Sarana Memperkenalkan Aqidah Islam (Bachelor's thesis, Fakultas Dakwah dan Ilmu Komunikasi Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta).
Gainau, M. B. (2015). Perkembangan remaja dan problematikanya. Pt Kanisius.
Greene, Kathryn, Valerian J. Derlega, and Alicia Mathews. 2006. "Self-Disclosure in Personal Relationships." Pp. 409-27 in The Cambridge handbook of personal relationships. Greene, Kathryn: Department of Communication, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, US, 08091-1071, kgreene@scils.rutgers.edu: Cambridge University Press.
Humaizi, Hasan NNN, Dalimunthe MA, Ramadhani E. (2024). Harmony in virtual space: Forum Kerukunan Umat Beragama (FKUB) development communication in creating digital literacy based on religious moderation. Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development. 8(7): 4299. https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd.v8i7.4299
Indah, P. S. A. (2023). Perilaku Self Disclosure Pengguna Second Account Instagram Dalam Menjalin Intimasi Pertemanan.
Ingkansari, A. R., Nugraheni, A. A., & Setyowati, C. S. P. (2021). Menumbuhkan Berpikir Kritis: Paradigma, Desain, dan Media Pembelajaran, hingga Manajemen Sarana. PT Kanisius.
Lestari, R., Windarwati, H. D., & Hidayah, R. (2023). The power of digital resilience: Transformasi berpikir kritis dan penguatan kesehatan mental emosional di era disrupsi. Universitas Brawijaya Press.
Milyane, T. M., Darmaningrum, K., Natasari, N., Setiawan, G. A., Sembiring, D., Fitriyah, N., ... & Putri, M. S. (2023). Literasi Media Digital. Penerbit Widina.
Ngatini, Y. (2025). Remaja dan pergumulannya di era digital. Penerbit P4I.
Nurdin, A. (2020). Teori Komunikasi Interpersonal Disertai Contoh Fenomena Praktis. Prenada Media.
Pattihua, M., & Manuputty, F. (2022). Intimasi Digital dan Keterbukaan Diri pada Dewasa Awal: Perspektif Sosiokultural dari Pengguna Litmatch di Kota Ambon. Populis: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, 17(1), 52-68.
Prabowo, F. H. E., Sujai, I., & Fadillah, D. R. (2024). Peningkatan Keterampilan Digital bagi Kelompok Informasi Masyarakat (KIM) & Masyarakat Desa dalam Upaya Pencegahan Penyebaran Berita Hoax. Langgam Pustaka.
Prihatmojo, M. A. B., Busri, H., & Ambarwati, A. (2025). Representasi Kecemasan dalam Mini Album Montase Karya Temarram. Jurnal Penelitian, Pendidikan, dan Pembelajaran, 20(3).
Purba, A. M., Dirbawanto, N. D., & Dalimunthe, M. A. (2025). Urban digitalization through clean energy: policies and communication of Medan City government towards "Medan Smart City". In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 1445, No. 1, p. 012067). IOP Publishing.
Rizki, S., Sutiaputri, L. F., & Heryana, W. (2020). Stigma masyarakat terhadap orang dengan human immunodeficiency virus dan acquired immune deficiency syndrome (hiv dan aids) di kota bandung. Jurnal Ilmiah Rehabilitasi Sosial, 2(1).
Ritonga, A. R., Thamrin, M. H., & Dalimunthe, M. A. (2025). Developing a Sexual Harassment Prevention Model through the'Courageous Campus' Campaign: A Counseling-Based Approach in Higher Education in Medan City. Educational Process: International Journal, 14, e2025076.
Suarni, W., Yassar, M. N. E., Ramawati, P. G. S., & Kamal, L. L. S. (2024). Prosiding Seminar Nasional Psikologi" Menjadi Manusia Berkesadaran di Era Digitial". Sanata Dharma University Press.
Venty, V., Kutty, R. M., Subekti, E. E., Chandra, A., Rahayu, P., Saptaningrum, E., ... & Galang, T. (2025). Pemberdayaan Orang Tua di Mukim Hulu Langat, Selangor melalui Edukasi Strawberry Parenting untuk Meningkatkan Kemandirian Anak. Jurnal Abdi Masyarakat Indonesia, 5(2), 495-508.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
COPYRIGHT
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access
LICENSE

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.